Ralph Joseph Michaels (May 3, 1902 in

Etna, Pennsylvania Etna is a Borough of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, across the Allegheny River from Pittsburgh. In 2019 Etna was recognized as the first ever Ecodistrict. Etna was named after the volcano Mount Etna, an allusion to blast furnaces, steel mills, ...

, United States – August 5, 1988 in

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) was an infielder who played for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

from 1924 to 1926. He also played in the minor leagues in 1922 and 1923 and from 1926 to 1937. Michaels made his major league debut on April 16, 1924. In eight games with the Cubs that season, he hit .364 with two RBI. In 1923, he played in 22 games for the Cubs, collecting 14 hits in 50 at-bats for a .280 batting average. He appeared in two games in 1926, though he did not have an at-bat - though he still managed to score a run. He played his final game on April 30 of that year, finishing his career with a .295 batting average in 32 games. As a minor leaguer, Michaels hit .276 with 1,134 hits in 4,110 at-bats. Not a power hitter, he hit only 15 home runs in his career, along with 160 doubles and 41 triples. Perhaps his best season offensively was his very first - in 1922 with the

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, Michaels hit .301 with 30 doubles in 129 games. He did not impress in the field that season however, as he committed 53 errors.BR Minors
/ref> He also managed the

Waterloo Hawks The Waterloo Hawks were a National Basketball League and National Basketball Association team based in Waterloo, Iowa. The Hawks remain the only sports franchise ever based in Iowa from any of the current Big Four Leagues. Franchise history ...

for part of the 1936 season. Following his death, he was interred at St. Mary Church Cemetery in

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michaels, Ralph 1902 births 1988 deaths Chicago Cubs players People from Etna, Pennsylvania Baseball players from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Nashville Vols players